89 killed in suicide blast in east Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Associated Press

Afghan security personnel are pictured past mangled cars at the scene of a suicide attack at a busy market in Urgun district, Paktika province on July 15, 2014. AFP Photo

An Afghan general says the death toll from a suicide car bombing in the country's eastern Paktika province has climbed to 89, with more than 40 people wounded.
     
The blast took place on Tuesday when the bomber detonated his explosives-packed vehicle near a crowded market and a mosque in the Urgun district of Paktika province.
     
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Defense Ministry spokesman, says the military is providing helicopters and ambulances to transport the victims to the provincial capital, Sharan.
     
Azimi says 42 people were wounded in the explosion and some 20 shops were destroyed.
     
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.